The funeral mass for Pope Francis will start at 10:00 am on Saturday April 26 on Place St. Peter. It will be chaired by Cardinal Re and will end with the transfer of the coffin to Saint Mary Major, where the burial will take place.
By Jean Charles Putzolu
About 250 cardinals, a multitude of bishops, priests, religious brothers and sisters will attend the funeral mass of the Holy Father Francis on Saturday April 26 from 10:00 am. The wooden and zinc coffin of the deceased pontiff, sealed on Friday evening, will be placed on the forecourt of the basilica, just in front of the altar. He will face a vast crowd, which should have several hundred thousand people, from all geographic, social, political and cultural horizons to make their respects final. This diversified crowd represents the church of François, that which welcomes “everyone, everyone”, as he repeated tirelessly.
First mass of novemdiales
As prescribed by the Ordo Exsershiatum Romani PontitisFuneral mass is the first of the nine masses to stand daily in Saint-Pierre until Sunday, May 4. The funeral liturgy will be chaired by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the college of cardinals.
Patriarchs and cardinals will distinguish themselves from the bishops by the purple of their liturgical clothes and their white damask miters, while the bishops will wear simple white mites.
Mass will include readings of the acts of the apostles, the letter from Saint Paul to the Pharisees and the Gospel of John. The homily, prepared by the dean of the college of cardinals, will be followed by the prayers of the faithful in French, Arab, Portuguese, Polish, German and Chinese, before the Eucharistic liturgy, the Holy Communion and the Rite of the final elevated statement
The celebration will be accompanied by the Sistine Chapel choir, singing for Francis one last time.
Towards Saint Mary Major
In accordance with the spiritual will of the bishop of Rome, the coffin will then be transported to the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major. The funeral procession will cover a distance of about four kilometers in the streets of the capital at a slow pace.
This trip will allow the Romans to say goodbye to their bishop along a path he has often taken to pray before the Virgin icon Salus Populi Romani Before and after each of his 47 apostolic trips, and even recently after his hospital stay in February and March.
Arriving at the Liberian basilica, still accompanied by the Choir of the Sistine Chapel alternating antiphons and the Psalms, the coffin will be welcomed by “The Last”, a group of poor and marginalized people who always had a special place in the heart of Pope Francis. They will be the one who will pay the last tribute before the coffin is transported to the altar of Saint Mary Major. The burial will take place in private.
Cardinal Camerlengo, Kevin Farrell, will mark the pontifical coffin with his seal, as well as those of the prefecture of the papal house, the office of the liturgical celebrations of the supreme pontiff and the Liberian chapter.
The remains of the stone successor will be placed in the tomb and sprinkled with holy water. After Regina Cæli Prayer, the notary of the Liberian chapter will write the official act confirming the burial and will read it aloud to the people present. The law will be signed by Cardinal Camerlengo, the regent of the papal house, the master of the papal liturgical celebrations and finally the notary.
The ceremony should end around 2:00 p.m.
The world in Rome
Pope Francis’ funerary mass will be broadcast worldwide. It will also be available with a comment in English on our vaticannews.va/en website on the Vatican Media Facebook page and on the Vatican Media YouTube channel.
Delegations of at least 130 countries and international organizations are expected, including 12 reigning monarchs and 55 heads of state, 14 heads of government and other senior officials. To cover the event, more than 4,000 journalists asked for accreditation from the Holy See.
